Following a highly successful three days at the NEC Birmingham, show organisers (Brintex) can confirm visitor numbers for this year's joint Traffex and Parkex exhibition were up.
With plenty of busy exhibition stands and lots of positive feedback from both visitors and exhibitors, key results show the total attendance was 11,390, with an increase in Traffex visitors of 9% when compared to 2013.
With over 400 exhibitors, the co-located exhibition revealed the very latest products and innovations from the world of traffic management, intelligent transport systems (ITS), road safety, highway maintenance and parking. One of the key features of this year's event was the varied and engaging seminar programme, a highlight of which came from Graham Dalton, Chief Executive of Highways England, who set out some of its newest priorities, and illustrated some of the differences Highways England's suppliers can expect over the next five years.
Steven Norris, President of ITS UK and former Transport Minister, who opened the joint seminar and was also one of this year's keynote speakers observed, "Every exhibitor I spoke to commented on the impressive quality of visitors at this year's Traffex. Stands certainly looked busy and the conference space was often oversubscribed. All in all this was a hugely successful event, and one which is growing in popularity. My advice if you weren't there is, don't make the same mistake next time!"
Patrick Troy, Chief Executive Officer at the British Parking Association, also comments, "Traffex and Parkex are very much bespoke exhibitions. There's a lot of synergy between the seminars as people who are looking at traffic solutions are also looking at parking solutions – when you're driving a car you have got to park it somewhere! This is the same across many areas of the transport network; some of the products and services being demonstrated work hand in hand."
New this year was the cycle safety feature area How Safe Do You Feel? a full size public highway environment which visitors could explore on foot or bicycle. The 'After Dark' viewing area, highlighted the importance of retro reflective safety products, with Carmen Bowley, Joint Managing Director at Blakedale commenting, "The feature area is a really good visual representation of what is out there – it's like a microcosm of the transport networks that currently exist and highlights areas that you may not necessarily see on your day to day journey."
As always, Traffex and Parkex attracted plenty of media interest from traditional trade titles to national print and broadcast. Jasvinder Sidhu, Event Director, commented: "The feedback I have received this year has been fantastic; exhibitors have welcomed the large number of visitors with plenty of specific projects and traffic schemes in mind. Particularly pleasing is the great media coverage we've enjoyed, which has really benefited everyone. Increasingly, visitors are having to consider both traffic and parking issues so the combined exhibition really provides a great opportunity for visitors to take an integrated approach to traffic management and parking."
The next combined Traffex and Parkex event will be held at Hall 5, NEC Birmingham, on the April 4-6 2017.
